Valve Taking Zero Tolerance Stance Against Cheaters - TF2

Post by Steve Farrelly @ 10:46am 03/09/09 | 58 Comments

According to the official TF2 blog, Valve will be "removing all TF2 items that were earned using external idling applications", in a bid to stop players from cheating for the much sought after item drops and surprises.

The update goes on to say that it's only around 4.5% of the entire TF2 community who will be affected by this, and that anyone who was smart enough to take the "moral high road" will soon find a new hat in their inventory. As prior to this there was no precedent for third-party apps, Valve have decided to step it up with a zero tolerance stance.

This reminds me of when Blizzard finally took a similar stance to WoW third-party system cheaters...

team fortress 2 valve steam

Latest Comments

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ViscoS
Posted 10:51am 03/9/09

Was the idling really such a big deal?

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d[o_0]b
Posted 10:52am 03/9/09

awesome!!! my workmate is gonna be so cut haha

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Dan
Posted 10:52am 03/9/09

"only 4.5%" is still a s***load of people. What are they going to do without their fancy hats?!

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TiT
Posted 10:57am 03/9/09

does that mean ppl who use to use the tool to activate achievements?

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giririsss
Posted 10:59am 03/9/09

It wasn't the hats that most people idled for, it was to just unlock the weapons on classes that they didn't really play a whole lot.

I'm failing to see how this is different to the Achievement_idle servers that are still out there that just let you idle on the server and get the weapon drops that way, but what ever.

Oh on the 4.5% thing, someone pointed out that only 7% of people who bought the orange box actually play tf2 (valve stat released a while back apparently) so that means it's probably close to about half of all tf2 players that used the idler. Which sounds about right.

last edited by giririsss at 10:59:09 03/Sep/09

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Midda
Posted 10:59am 03/9/09

I got flagged for having run this tool once. I didn't unlcok anything with it, so I haven't lost any items, but I missed out on the halo. :(

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boba
Posted 11:05am 03/9/09

It wasn't the hats that most people idled for

the majority idled for hats. And this still won't fix the core issue. Most people will just load tf2 and idle in idle servers now.

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Pinky
Posted 11:09am 03/9/09

Heh, I've been idling since I was knee-height of a grasshopper.

Still no hats though.

I really couldn't care less to be honest. I'm interested to see how it will show up though when I start the game, what message I get, etc. Will post screenies.

And ftr, if they say 4.5% you can work out how many players they have. There are 10,000 idlers every 60 minutes and an average of 6000 items are awarded (30 of those 6000 are hats). That's output from idling app if you turn on the messaging in the settings file.

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ravn0s
Posted 11:58am 03/9/09

never used the idle program or gone onto idle servers so hopefully i will get my first hat. better not be for a class i dont play.

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FraktuRe
Posted 12:05pm 03/9/09

I have no hats and some people have 8 hats. it's f*****g stupid. Valve your system is broken.

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Midda
Posted 12:18pm 03/9/09

Yeah, the fact that the program exists suggest that the system is flawed. Though I wish I had never bothered looking at it, because I didn't actually get anything with it, but now I don't get a halo. :(

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trog
Posted 12:20pm 03/9/09

THEY'RE F*****G HATS WHO GIVES A S***

This is the sort of stuff that f*****g ruins awesome online games. Instead of people playing the game properly you end up with a bunch of f**** running around messing up the game just to try and get achievements.

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HerbalLizard
Posted 12:45pm 03/9/09

What like getting a pair of pants to match your hat

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ViscoS
Posted 12:51pm 03/9/09

Lol Trog Rage.

I got the fancy fedora a while back. Never use it because I don't play spy.

I would use the halo but every man and his dog will be using it.

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Carson
Posted 01:05pm 03/9/09

THEY'RE F*****G HATS WHO GIVES A S***

This is the sort of stuff that f*****g ruins awesome online games. Instead of people playing the game properly you end up with a bunch of f**** running around messing up the game just to try and get achievements.

This is why I stopped playing tf2.

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d[o_0]b
Posted 01:13pm 03/9/09

i've got 5 hats now including that gay halo but stil hahahahaha

a few of my mates still have no hats

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thermite
Posted 01:18pm 03/9/09

Achievements was fine, they encouraged people to try new things in the game and rewarded them with a larger selection of weapons. This new system has f***ed it all up. How come some a****** who uses an idle thing gets to run around in a cool hat, and I am frequently the VIP and I just have the default s***.

I better get some sweet hat out of never having cheated or used an unlocker.

Why can't they put some fairness thing in to stop pricks getting multiple hats?

last edited by thermite at 13:18:17 03/Sep/09

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boba
Posted 01:19pm 03/9/09

http://boba.nowuckingforries.com/7528020734df5bbfbc7fc5c13f19fcdb42d9601f.png

Disabling the fake idle program really changed things....

last edited by boba at 13:19:53 03/Sep/09

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casa
Posted 01:18pm 03/9/09

trog, you'd find that you don't need to achieve anything to get a hat, you just, get them randomly while playing.

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trog
Posted 01:50pm 03/9/09

trog, you'd find that you don't need to achieve anything to get a hat, you just, get them randomly while playing.

Yeh, the point is, its possible to get things that other people don't have. Whether these are 'achievements', medals, ranks, XP, or something as stupid as HATS, as soon as people find out that other people have something they don't have, they're going to want them. And if they're hard to get and it's possible to hax or cheat or lie or steal to get them, then they'll do that.

The problem is, it IMMEDIATELY, irrevocably takes the focus off the actual GAME, and turns it into this retarded pokemon bulls*** sidestory that people then concentrate on. It means people like me who want to get into the game and play to win then have to worry about their a****** teammates running around saying things like "I'm trying to get the knife award", or "I'm trying to get the medal for 10 kills in a row with the pistol" or "oh I'm just idling to get a HAT". It means instead of playing the game properly as per the initial design.

I realise they're trying to do these things as part of the "fun" of the game, and that some people like them. Realistically if I give a s*** I'd only player in ladder games, but I don't like being that organised - I still wanna play pub games, but I just don't want them to be stuffed full of douchebags trying to COLLECT THEM ALL.

It's why I stopped playing BF2 after a few hours. I was so looking forward to that game, but soon as I started playing it I realised it was just people playing for ranks and medals and it just made the game suck for me.

YES I'M OLD AND CRANKY

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FraktuRe
Posted 02:00pm 03/9/09

trog none of that really happens in most tf2 servers. you'd know that if you werent a b**** and played the game. :)

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XandraX
Posted 02:02pm 03/9/09

I used the achievement unlocker program which instantly makes Steam think you've unlocked everything, and I got a halo :)

Looks like they only care about idling...

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boba
Posted 02:03pm 03/9/09

It means people like me who want to get into the game and play to win then have to worry about their a****** teammates running around saying things like "I'm trying to get the knife award", or "I'm trying to get the medal for 10 kills in a row with the pistol" or "oh I'm just idling to get a HAT". It means instead of playing the game properly as per the initial design.

I don't think my whole time playing TF2 that I've ever come across people like that or had any problems at all. Sounds like you've turned into an old jaded gamer like obes.

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d[o_0]b
Posted 02:03pm 03/9/09

QQ

maybe you should have got into the game back in 2007 when it was 'uncool'

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Midda
Posted 02:04pm 03/9/09

It's why I stopped playing BF2 after a few hours. I was so looking forward to that game, but soon as I started playing it I realised it was just people playing for ranks and medals and it just made the game suck for me.

I assume you're talking about when the game first came out, because as far as I remember, you've hated TF2 from day dot. But when the game first came out, there were no hats, no unlockable weapons, no medals, and no 'ranks' (there still aren't any), so I don't see how this could have turned you from the game. Was it just the achievements? If so, you're going to have a hard time playing any game from now on, because just about everything has achievements.

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trog
Posted 02:17pm 03/9/09

Oh no, I don't play TF2 cuz I think it's a boring unenjoyable game. This is just more reason to hate on it.

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d[o_0]b
Posted 02:21pm 03/9/09

so ur just threads***ting?

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Pinky
Posted 02:32pm 03/9/09

Haha boba and XandraX!

Also, trog, I too use to find TF2 boring and unenjoyable, but unfortunately I had a mate who kept nagging me to play with him, so eventually I got into it and now I love it (in smallish doses). It does seem to have an inordinate number of immature young teenages speaking garbage through their braces about how s*** their team is though, which often forces me to d/c. I'm old and cranky too.

As for medals and what not - I don't mind that stuff. I think it adds substance to the game and a different level. It took me quite a while to get five knife kills in a row in BF2 and I enjoyed the challenge.

And as for the probability of getting a hat, 1 in 333 players gets a hat every hour. It's meaningless cosmetic bulls***, but it's still fun.

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trog
Posted 02:44pm 03/9/09

so ur just threads***ting?

nah, I'm trying to point out that WHO CARES ABOUT HATS

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Spook
Posted 02:50pm 03/9/09

yer, ive been back playing a bit lately as well;

loads of fun in small doses;

ps, no hats yet, do soldiers even get hats?
i only play as soldier

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Tiny
Posted 02:52pm 03/9/09

Good News.

It is cheating. Looks like karma will catch up with everyone who used the idle app now.

I have played tf2 for about 3 months and i have unlocked every weapon but received no hats as yet.

And troggles i don't think it is ruining the game to offer hats as a random reward in game. The cheaters who use the third party app are the ones who are ruining the game.

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Midda
Posted 02:55pm 03/9/09

ps, no hats yet, do soldiers even get hats?
i only play as soldier

Yeah, every class has 3 hats now. One of the hats I have is for the soldier.

EDIT:

The cheaters who use the third party app are the ones who are ruining the game.

Well, technically, they don't interfere with the game at all, since they're not in any server taking up spots. I do think the app is silly though (along with the system it's trying to exploit).

last edited by Midda at 14:55:30 03/Sep/09

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YoungNastyMan
Posted 02:56pm 03/9/09

If it were bandanas it would be a different story!

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tequila
Posted 03:03pm 03/9/09

wow

I don't play Tf2 so this thread is quite bizarre to me

last edited by tequila at 15:03:15 03/Sep/09

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DeePer
Posted 03:04pm 03/9/09

who cares about hats?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8K1fTZaR7w

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thermite
Posted 03:06pm 03/9/09

Well, technically, they don't interfere with the game at all, since they're not in any server taking up spots.

But they are still connected to valve's servers aren't they? And they are reducing the probability for actual players to get the random item?

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boba
Posted 03:16pm 03/9/09

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Tiny
Posted 04:26pm 03/9/09

nah, I'm trying to point out that WHO CARES ABOUT HATS

Pretty much everyone who plays tf2.

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Pinky
Posted 04:33pm 03/9/09

And they are reducing the probability for actual players to get the random item?

Wrong.

According to data gathered by players, the drop system runs off an interval of 25 minutes. These intervals are unique to each player.

Also, I have calculated that I receive a drop on average every 156 minutes. The same page for this above quote states 2.5h per drop (150 min).

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thermite
Posted 04:34pm 03/9/09

I was on a new zealand server and these two kiwis were arguing over the hats
"whut so gid abit thi hets thiy dunt do enytheng"
"thiy're hets!"

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Mitch
Posted 04:58pm 03/9/09

you sure that was a kiwi server

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thermite
Posted 05:04pm 03/9/09

yeah gameplanet, I git gud pengs thire

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Mitch
Posted 05:06pm 03/9/09

they sound like kiwi/south african hybrids

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HERMITech
Posted 06:23pm 03/9/09

lol, I got a Halo
Wonder when it's gonna slip an choke me

An FYI: A South African just sounds like an educated Kiwi

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Midda
Posted 07:20pm 03/9/09

But they are still connected to valve's servers aren't they? And they are reducing the probability for actual players to get the random item?

No, they're privately run servers. You can still get unlocks and achievements on private servers if you've got the Valve Anti-Cheat software running. So this idling stuff doesn't really impact on the community as far as I'm aware.

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ViscoS
Posted 07:22pm 03/9/09

Valve - their methods are retarded and they'll crush anyone smart enough to code a solution.

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HeardY
Posted 07:29pm 03/9/09

Even though I've not played TF2, I tend to agree with trog, f*** all the awards/medals/whatever I just wanna get in a game on go nuts and win that map etc

sif sit in a server hours on end 'idling' just to unlock a fkn hat!

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orbitor
Posted 07:42pm 03/9/09

there's hats in TF2?

I need to log on more often...had the game for 18 months and i've done 22 achievements haha.

And most played class is sniper...at 3.4 hrs.

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d[o_0]b
Posted 07:49pm 03/9/09

heardys a noob

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HeardY
Posted 07:52pm 03/9/09

there is no doubting that, been newbing it up since quake and cs days :D

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Snakeman
Posted 07:55pm 03/9/09

I never got a halo because I sinned in Valves TF2 bible. But it cracks me up how much for of a target you become putting a halo on your head, especially spies. LOL

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thermite
Posted 09:49am 04/9/09

I got the halo it gets gay fast when you realise it doesn't cloak with you

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Pinky
Posted 04:49pm 04/9/09

I'll just leave this here.

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FraktuRe
Posted 04:54pm 04/9/09

howmanygaybarsistrog?

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greazy
Posted 05:02pm 04/9/09

Halo owner here.

It's not all that great, unless youre an engie. You look like an alien its awesome.

Trog: Hats are awesome but the way you go about getting them (RANDOM!) is silly. I would have preferred getting hats only when I complete every single achievement for certain class. That way you know who the hardcore grinders are.

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Darvon
Posted 03:18pm 07/9/09

Either that, or you know who just unlocked all the achievements with a 2 second regedit because unlocks in a competitive game are bad.

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cyph
Posted 04:57pm 07/9/09

nah, I'm trying to point out that WHO CARES ABOUT HATS

Many people.

Exec #1: Item six on the agenda: "The Meaning of Life" Now uh, Harry, you've had some thoughts on this.
Exec #2: Yeah, I've had a team working on this over the past few weeks, and what we've come up with can be reduced to two fundamental concepts. One: People aren't wearing enough hats. Two: Matter is energy. In the universe there are many energy fields which we cannot normally perceive. Some energies have a spiritual source which act upon a person's soul. However, this "soul" does not exist ab initio as orthodox Christianity teaches; it has to be brought into existence by a process of guided self-observation. However, this is rarely achieved owing to man's unique ability to be distracted from spiritual matters by everyday trivia.
Exec #3: What was that about hats again?
Exec #2: Oh, Uh... people aren't wearing enough.
Exec #1: Is this true?
Exec #4: Certainly. Hat sales have increased but not pari passu, as our research...
Exec #3: [Interrupting] "Not wearing enough"? enough for what purpose?
Exec #5: Can I just ask, with reference to your second point, when you say souls don't develop because people become distracted...
[looking out window]
Exec #5: Has anyone noticed that building there before?

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TicMan
Posted 05:50pm 07/9/09

troggles made me roffles

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